Podcast: Automatic Tax Filing - Will It Work?

Last week Taxpayers' Ombudsperson François Boileau  tabled his annual report:  In Pursuit of Better Service: Taxpayers Deserve More.  once again, it was nothing short of scathing, as CRA received its highest number of complaints in the last three years.  Calling our “completely nuts” Income Tax Act a potential barrier, he is nonetheless pushing for automatic tax filing as a potential solution.  A new episode of Real Tax News with Evelyn Jacks & Friends available next week, will feature guest Gillian Petit, Ph.D. - author of a great report, Welcome News for Lower-Income Canadians, but There’s More to Do - which takes a deeper dive.  Consider the following:

In 2013, you will be able to contribute an additional $500 to your Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), taking the annual contribution limit to $5,500.

Aging small and medium-sized business owners are ill prepared to transition their businesses and that oversight, says CIBC economist Benjamin Tal, could be costly — for business owners and for the economy.

Christmas has just gotten a lot easier in Canada, thanks to the Santas in the federal government.

If a company receives a “break fee” in a failed takeover attempt, that fee is income for tax purposes, not a capital gain or a non-taxable “windfall.”

If you are hiring, it is important that you hire the “right” person for the job and “competency models” can help you do that.

If you qualify for a rebate or refund under Ontario’s Retail Sales Tax (RST) the deadline for applications is fast approaching.